[03/29/12 - 09:13 AM]Animal Planet Triggers New Seasons of "Pit Boss," "My Cat from Hell" and "Pit Bulls & Parolees"The trio helped drive record viewers to the network's Saturday night in first quarter and delivered all-time highs for each of its recent season.

(Silver Spring, Md.) - Today, Animal Planet announces the renewals of three popular series: PIT BOSS, MY CAT FROM HELL and PIT BULLS & PAROLEES. The trio of cat and dog programs helped drive record viewers to the network's Saturday night in first quarter and delivered all-time highs for each of its recent season.

Animal Planet garnered its best ever Saturday night quarterly performance in prime among P2+ and Households, delivering 873K P2+ viewers, up 31% and 629K HH, an increase of 32% over year ago levels. In addition, the trio bolstered Saturday night delivery gains across all major demos, including P25-54 (+22%), P18-49 (+19%), W25-54 (+24%), M25-54 (+17%).

The second season of MY CAT FROM HELL delivered nearly one million P2+ viewers, up 36% compared to season one, with its February 18 season finale earning a series high of 1.1M P2+ viewers. The 2012 season of PIT BOSS delivered 909K P2+ viewers, a significant 27% increase over last year (909K vs. 717K). The PIT BOSS season finale, also on February 18, became the series' most-watched episode ever with 1.14 million P2+ viewers. In addition, the third season of PIT BULLS & PAROLEES delivered 823K P2+, up 11% versus the second season.

PIT BOSS

The PIT BOSS is back, and viewers can catch up with Shorty Rossi, his pit bulls and his team of little people as excitement continues to unfold in Hollywood at Shorty's Rescue and Shortywood, Inc, a talent management company for little people like him. The season kicks off with Shorty's return to Los Angeles after he spreads the word about the misunderstood breed and the financial plight of animal shelters across the country during his national book tour. He's ready to get back to business but finds his rescue and talent agency in complete disarray and his crew at odds. Can Shorty find a way to turn his life's work around and repair the damaged relationships among his teammates? PIT BOSS is produced for Animal Planet by Intuitive Entertainment. Executive producer for Animal Planet is Erin Wanner. Mechelle Collins and Kevin Dill are executive producers for Intuitive Entertainment.

MY CAT FROM HELL

Cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy tackles the most catastrophic cat cases anyone has ever encountered in MY CAT FROM HELL. Armed with more than 15 years of experience, a proven training program and his signature guitar case filled with cat toys, Galaxy is on a mission to help cat owners find the source of conflict with their furry friends. In each episode, Jackson swoops in to solve a gamut of feline-related issues and to repair the relationships they're ruining. Whether it's the cat or the owners behaving badly, leave it to Galaxy to save the day! New for the upcoming season, Jackson takes his cat listening skills to the city that never sleeps and confronts hellish cats that hail from New York. MY CAT FROM HELL is produced for Animal Planet by 3 Ball Productions/Eyeworks USA. Melinda Toporoff is the executive producer for Animal Planet. JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson and Adam Kaloustian are executive producers for 3 Ball.

PIT BULLS & PAROLEES

Change is in the wind as PIT BULLS & PAROLEES returns to unveil Tia Torres' fresh start in a new city, moving Villalobos from California to Louisiana. Viewers see Tia transplant her life and facility across the country to continue her tireless work in New Orleans - a city with serious pit bull issues and desperately in need of her help. Several of Tia's long-time staffers and parolees make the move to the "Big Easy," along with her four children and, of course, all the dogs still in need of homes. PIT BULLS & PAROLEES is produced for Animal Planet by Rive Gauche Television and 44 Blue Productions. David Auerbach is the executive producer for Rive Gauche and Rasha Drachkovitch is the executive producer for 44 Blue. Lisa Lucas is executive producer for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.